The present invention relates to a substrate treatment device for treating a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a LCD substrate, and a transporting method used for the device.
In production of a semiconductor device and a liquid crystal display(LCD), a circuit pattern is formed with a so-called photolithography technology in which a semiconductor wafer or a LCD substrate which serve as a substrate is coated with photo-resist solution to form a resist film, the resist film is exposed according to a circuit pattern, and the resulting film is developed.
In such coating/developing treatment, when a series of treatments are executed on a substrate, transportation of a substrate is required between various treatment units or between a treatment unit and a cassette. In the transporting operation, a transporting arm is normally used. This transporting arm is mainly constituted of an arm body capable of rotation and horizontal and vertical movement when the substrate is transported or carried out to/from a treatment unit or a cassette, and a pad which is a supporting member for supporting a substrate disposed on the arm body.
This transporting arm moves frequently between various treatment units or between a treatment unit and a cassette, and, during the movement, particles such as dust or dirt tend to deposit thereon. In particular, when these particles are adhered on the pad, since the particles adhere on the rear surface of the substrate to be transported thereafter, an unfavorable result will be induced.